Improvement in leaf-turners



D. W. G. HUMPHREY.

LEAF-TURNER.

No. 1914055. Patented May 22,1877.

PETEHS, PHQTO-LITMOGMPHER, wnsumm'ou, a Cv STATES PATENT orrroiia.

DANIEL W. G. HUMPHREY, OF OHELSEA, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN LEAF-TURNERS.

' Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 191.065, dated May22, 1877; application filed March 31, 1877.

Toall whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DANIEL W. G. HUM- PHREY, of Chelsea, in the countyof Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful orImproved Music-Rack Attachment, which invention is fully set forth inthe following specification, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawing.

The object of my invention is to furnish for the use of musicians aconvenient, practical, and comparatively inexpensive mechanism, wherebytheir music, Whether in the form of sheet-music or in bound volumes, maybe held uponthe usual rack of the piano, organ, or portable stand, andthe leaves thereof be thereby turned with a very slight manipulation bythe performer, and withgreat facility, certainty, and promptness and Myinvention consists- First, in a sheet-music or other leaf turner,

of a holder or binder of peculiar construction, which may beconveniently attached to and detached from such music-rack, ashereinafter described. v Second, in a leaf holding and turningattachment, applicable to such music stands and racks, of peculiarconstruction and mode of operation, as hereinafter described.

Third, in the combination of such music holder or binder with aleaf-turning device, as hereinafter described.

Fourth, in the combination of such leafturning device with a stationaryguard having adjustable ends, for holding in place the idle leaves ofmusic which are not being sung or played from.

Fifth, in the combination of such music holder or binder with suchstationary guard.

Sixth, in the combination of such detachable music-holder with themusic-rack of a piano, organ, or stand.

Seventh, in the combination of such musicleaf turner with the music-rackof a piano, organ, or stand.

Eighth, in certain details of construction, arrangement, and combinationof said music holding, guarding, and turning devices, all as hereinafterfully described and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figurel represents a front elevation of my invention applied to the usual rackof a musical instrument. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of thedetachable music holder or binder, taken on line 00 m, Fig. 3. Fig. 3 isan end view from the right hand of Fig. l, but with some of the partschanged in position, so that the music-holder and one of theleaf-turners are shown in side elevation, and the other leaf-turner inend elevation. Fig. 4 is a vertical section of the parts shown in Fig.3, exclusive of the swinging arms and guard, showing the constructionand method of combining the music-holder and leaf-turning attachmentwith the musical instrument and its rack, and the manner of combiningthe leafturning arms with their bracket, and, also, the music holder orbinder in the socket of such bracket.

In said figures, A represents the music holder or binder; B, the usualrack of a piano, organ, or stand; 0, the leaf-guard and leaf-turningattachment.

The music-holder A (see Fig. 4.) is composed of the longitudinallyconcaved and pivoted back d, supported by the spring-post e, se' curedin the base-plate f, the binding-wire g, also secured at its lower endin said baseplate, the socket-wire h, for securing the holder to thebracket E by inserting it in socket i, and the stop-barj across saidbase-plate.

The leaf guarding and turning attachment comprises the bracket E,containing the step It, the socket i, and arm m, the stationary guard F,attached tosaid bracket, with its pivoted arms on, the swinging arms 00, for turning the leaves, with their pivoted leafforks p 1), supportedby springs in u, fingerknobs o o, and their pivotal screw s.

The bracket E is secured to the instrument by a screw, t, which passesthrough the base of the rack and arm m of said bracket into the body ofthe musical instrument or stand to which said invention is applied. Thepivoted arms n n of the stationary guard F and the leaf-forks p p aresupported in horizontal or vertical position by their respective springsto u u u. The top of the socket i on bracket E is cut away, so as toallow the stop-barj of the music-binder to rest thereon, as shown inFigs. 3 and 4, whereby the said binder is prevented from rotating on itssocket-pin h, or turning out of proper position while in use.

points.

The leaf-turnin g arms 0 0', which are weighted by the finger-knobs amare arranged to vibrate, or perform a semi-revolution, upon their pivots the axis whereof is arranged oblique to a vertical line, and parallel,or nearly so, to the inclined plane of the pivoted music-rack B when itis raised for use, as shown. By thus arranging the axis of the arm-pivots the outer and weighted extremities of said arms 0 0, when swung fromright to left, (as the music .is passed over by the player,) move in anascending line or plane until directly in front of their said commonpivot s, or until ninety degrees of a circle be passed through, (see arm0, Fig. 3,) when a descending line of movement takes place, whereby themomentum acquired and imparted by the performers moving said arm throughsaid first quarter of a circle insures the descent and completesemi-revolution thereof, and the consequent turning of the leaf securedin the fork P thereof, without further care or attention on the part ofthe singer or player.

When attached to the rack of an organ, piano, or other analogousinstrument, the knobs v 'v are suspended over the key-board in suchposition as to not interfere with the free action of the hands of theplayer, but at the same time are so disposed as to be convenientlymanipulated by the player with but slight interruption, he beingrequired to simply strike one of the knobswith his finger withsufficient force to send it through the first half of itssemi-revolution whenever the leaf held thereby is to be turned. 1 Toplace sheet-music in the holder A, the back or folded edge of the sheetis passed behind the -wire'g, so as to bring said wire between thefolios, and then drawn downward between said wire and the back d, whichback is curved at its top to facilitate such entrance of the sheetbetween it and the binding-wire. The spring-support e keeps said back incontact with the music or paper so placed therein, while the oscillationof said back upon its pivot distributes and equalizes the pressure uponthe sheet along the entire line of the holder, thus firmly securing ittherein at all A number of folio sheets may be thus held at the sametime and a single additional leaf maybe likewise securely held by itsmargin, the binder being sufficiently yielding to hold a plurality ofsheets.

When a bound volume of music is used, the book is placed upon the rackB, in the usual manner, holder A being first removed from its socket '5and laid aside. The pages being selected from which the singing orplaying is to be performed, the guard-arms n n are turned up to holdback the idle leaves.

The leaves of music so selected from a volume or sheets are then turnedto the right, one after the other, against the bent armsof the forks pand 1;, said bent arms serving as guides to direct the edges oftheleaves more'readily into the intermediate spaces between such bentarms and their accompany ing straight arms, as the forks are turned upto embrace the leaves, as in the positions shown in Fig. 3.

The leaves being thus placed between the branches of the forks p p, ofwhich a suitable number,-usually four, are to be employed, thepreliminary arrangements are completed, and the music is in properposition to commence the singing or playing thereof; and when themusic-leaves are so held their rapid turning in regular succession isaccomplished by means of my said attachment with promptness andcertainty, and without anxiety and frustration on the part of theperformer, as

the weighted arms which so embrace the leaves are sufficient to overcomethe atmospheric action which usually accompanies the rapid turning ofthe leaves, and frequently causes, when such leaves are hastily turned,in the usual manner, by the fingers simply, the succeeding leaf tofollow that which is thus quickly turned, to the great interruption andannoyance of the player. 7

The above-described attachment, which thus securely holds the music inposition, and facilitates the rapid turning of the leaves thereofwithout undue interruption or disturbance of the performer, is equallyapplicable to music-racks mounted upon portable stands, such as areusually employed in orchestras and at band concerts.

In applying said attachment to. a musical instrument it should besecured thereto in such manner, upon a cushion of felt or otherwise, asto prevent its vibrating, and thereby emitting a discordant sound; andthe guard F, against which the movable arms 0 0 stop, and the points ofcontact between said arms, may be covered or muffled with somenonresonant material, to prevent any clicking of the movable parts whenthe attachment is in use.

I am aware that devices for holding and turning the leaves of music, inconnection with musical instruments, have heretofore been invented,employing swinging arms and leaf-forks, but different in construction,arrangement, combination, and mode-of operation from mine. I thereforedo not claim said specific parts, broadly; but

What I do claim as my invention is-' 1. In a leaf-turner, the holder orbinder A, constructed with the binding-bar g, the pivoted back d, andthe yielding pivoted support 19, substantially as described and shown.

2. The leaf-turning device consisting of the pivoted arms 0 o, thehinged leaf-guards P,

' and the weighted finger-bars '0, all constructed and arranged tooperate substantially in manner as described and shown. I

3. The combination of binder A, rack B, pivoted guards n n, for securingthe idle leaves, and the turning device, all substantially as describedand shown.

4. In combination with the binder, as described and shown, the idle-leafguards n n leaf-forks p p, constructed and combined to and theleaf-turning device, as described and operate substantially in manner asdescribed shown. and shown.

5-. In a music or leaf turner, a series of weighted arms, 0 0, whenarranged to oper- DANIEL HUMPHREY' ate substantially as described andshown. Witnesses:

6. In a leaf or music turner, the combina- EUGENE HUMPHREY, tion of theseries of weighted arms 0 o and EBEN HUTCHINSON.

